Wednesday, December 17, 2003

talking comics

Made a new friend tonight - and an immediate recruit for the second volume of SIGLO. Jeremy Arambulo, vacationing here in Manila, is a talented cousin of Marco.

Over dinner, I told him how impressed I was by his indie sensibility, showcased in his recent work for ANGEL NEXT and Fwd Book's STYX TAXI. I like the controlled lines of his illustrations, the clean strength that does not get lost in details.

Growing up in the States, he brought a very unique perspective to our group's conversation. I was particularly moved by his observations after reading my story in SIGLO: FREEDOM.

He got me thinking: why not create stories for the FilAms over there? Why not indeed.

reading material

Thanks to El, I got some new stuff to devour. Three volumes of Junji Ito's UZUMAKI looks like a worthy addition to my holiday list "to read".

And of course, his very own TWO COLOR TRUTH THEATRE. Actually, I guerilla-read the copy he left for Vin and liked it a lot. But this gives me an opportunity to read it without pressure (of having to go to the convention now now now!).

Frankly, I'm still distressed that it did not win the award for Best Indie Comic. It's easily heads and shoulders above the shitty one that won (I'm not even writing the title of that piece of crap). What were the judges smoking? Are they so puerile that walking feces impressed them that much? We are part of a movement to uplift grafiction. How can we move forward when something like this makes the list of "Best Comics for Children" (yes, it did, in Preview magazine, rubbing elbows with ZSA ZSA ZATURNNAH and WASTED - which makes the entire category seem a misnomer, because obviously Carl and Gerry's works are not exactly aimed for a younger audience).

well said

Speaking of Gerry, if you head on over to his blog, you can read his great explanation of his position vis-a-vis the unending controversy regarding Filipinos doing manga. I fully support his stand and if you don't know what I'm talking about, go there now.